Khalistani groups strike again; demand independence by 2020

The peace in the state of Punjab is at a pivotal point as the Khalistani separatist groups continue their activities after three decades of their rebellion. Hoardings demanding a referendum in 2020 have sprung up at various places including Fatehgarh Sahib, Roopnagar, Dhanaula in Barnala and Rajpura in Patiala. All these hoardings picture the war-time facade of the Gurudwara Sahib in Amritsar during the rebellion of 1984 and have the words that state that independence from the Indian sovereign is the only solution to their problems.

Punjab Government has neither removed any of the hoardings nor has taken any action against the groups behind the controversy. The opposition, on the other hand, has spoken outright against the state government for being quiet and having failed to take any sort of action at a time when the state is on the verge of a rebellion. BhartiyaJanta Party has maintained that the efforts are being made by Khalistani groups to revive the terrorism they did in 1984.

BJP has also claimed that the groups responsible for these actions are based in Canada and USA by the name, Sikhs For Justice (SFJ). This was the same organization that had spoken and campaigned against the election of Captain Amarinder Singh in Canada.

Vineet Joshi, BJP Secretary, has said that while Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has been vocal against the Khalistani groups and their efforts to revive terrorism, his government has been silent on the hoardings demanding a referendum, an action which is deplorable. BJP has appealed to the state government to remove all hoardings and threatened to do the needful if the government failed to act immediately to keep the peace. They have also demanded of the government to take an action against the parties responsible all along the way from designing to printing to erecting the hoardings along with the people who allowed such hoardings to be erected on their buildings.